Hope Giveaway

We just hit over 30,00 blog hits and the 200th post. Those two milestones have me thinking about this blog and what it represents. It started as a way to keep our friends and family up-to-date on our life in China. It has grown to so much more... in fact, I think most of our blog readers (or at least the ones who comment!) are people I've never met in "real life." But, your prayers and friendship sustain us.

A lot of good has come from this blog and the people who read it... for example, we've had people sign up to sponsor kids or make financial donations to the foster home after learning about us through the blog. We've had people send the kids presents! We've even had someone decide to come and volunteer at our foster home who first learned about our work through this blog. I can see how God is using this to really bless the children we serve in lots of different ways, and I am so encouraged by that. In the last few weeks, I've been challenged to go out on a bigger limb and intentionally reach out to more and more people through the blog -- sharing our story and hopefully encouraging more people to jump in and get involved as well.

So, to that end, I'm copying the ideas of others and hosting a GIVEAWAY!

I'm giving away a simple charm necklace. This sterling silver necklace says "Hope" in Chinese. Hope means so much to me. I named the blog "Signs of Hope" because I want this blog to communicate that we don't have to be overwhelmed and immobilized in the face of suffering. We don't have to drift into apathy because we "can't really help them all." By choosing to focus on the signs of hope all around us, we can push back the darkness that threatens to engulf and bring more restoration and redemption into the lives of the hurting. Friends, we are His plan to bring more signs of hope to this broken world. We can use our skills, energies, talents, and time for so much more than ourselves! We can use them to usher in His kingdom on this earth; right here and right now.

So, when I look at orphans, I don't see sadness, despair, and the forgotten. I see possibility and potential. I see unrealized dreams. I see beautiful futures.

I see hope.

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So here's the deal... I'll do a multiple-entry-in-the-drawing type giveaway*, like I've seen others do.  To get...

• One Entry: Leave a comment on this post with your blog address, or email address if you don't have a blog.
• Two Entries: Make a post on your blog linking to this post, and leave me a comment pointing to it.
• Three Entries: Add our blog to your blog roll and leave me a comment or email me pointing me to it.*
• Four Entries: Add our button (see it on the side there?!) to your blog, and leave me a comment or email me pointing to it.*

If you've already added the button or us to your blog roll in the past, just email me to remind me and I'll give you the corresponding number of entries. :) Oh, and since we'll be going home for a few weeks and my blogging will be at a minimum, the contest will close on December 26! Everyone needs a little day-after-Christmas fun.  So, you have a whole month, but why wait?! Enter now, friends... enter now!

*I really struggled with this shameless act of self-promotion. Jacob and I even discussed it. In the end, we felt like perhaps the good that can come from more readers finding our blog is worth it. (i.e. - new sponsors for the kids, volunteers, etc.) Anyway, I hope you don't think poorly of us for doing this, but our intentions really are good! We just want more and more people to have the opportunity to get involved in this incredible journey!